Category: actors

More Dante Balboa photos




Dante Balboa [Elmer Anisco, in the real world], was one of Seiko Films’ racy male leads in the early zeros, when the era of sexy flicks was coming to a temporary close. Dante Balboa then transferred to small productions, still in the same genre, after that. Apparently, it was back-fence talk at that time that Seiko Films’ big boss Robbie Tan lost interest in Dante after noticing himself that his “stud” was getting a bit gentle and fair.

Jericho in Boracay!

I ran into Jericho Rosales in Boracay yesterday, apparently shooting for his new soap on ABS-CBN. In his latest project [which premiered last week], Jericho plays the role of a girl. The series is called Ellay Enchanted, obviously an originative and visionary take by the creative genius of ABS-CBN writers on the movie Ella Enchanted. According to the press kit, the story goes this way:

Ellay Enchanted is the story of womanizing bandman Elloy (Jericho), who dates Mayette (Candy Pangilinan), the sister of his bandmate (DJ Durano). When his practice is exposed, her siblings seek revenge and decide to curse him by turning him into a girl with the help of witch-cousin Madam Keller (Eugene Domingo). The hocus pocus turns out well: Elloy turns into Ellay. But Madam becomes a man. The only way to reverse the curse is for a girl to love Elloy not as a man, but as a woman before the full moon sets in. Joey (Iya) can break the curse, but she sees the man inside Ellay. What can make her fall for another woman?

Of course, it is a given who the director is, once you see the name Deejay Durano in the credits. Incidentally, Jericho,who still looks delish in his Boracay tan and despite gaining some weight, will soon start another project called Pangarap na Bituin with plain-jane actor-singers who go by the names Sarah and Yeng.

Back to School!

[Gerald Madrid, topmost photo, and Marcus Madrigal]
“No more swimming, no more fun, no more lolling in the sun!” It’s back to school – from the grades to the university – today for millions of young persons in the Philippines. Which means, more pencils, more books and more teachers’ dirty looks. Photos above are of Gerald Madrid [now 26 years old] and Marcus Madrigal [also 26], resident twinkie fantasies in the late 90s and the early zeros. Both actors, who have taken contrasting career paths after appearing together in the 1999 films Burger Boys and Batang Pro, now play father roles on the telly.

What’s Allen Dizon doing now?

Allen Dizon, the oldest member of the vanished Viva Hotmen [VHM] male group, is one resilient guy. Allen Dizon, who is now 29 years old [according to his bio], may be considered way past his prime, but he is still in the biz despite some setbacks in his clothes-free career. He first appeared as a scraggy contestant in Coverboy male personality search on Channel 2’s noontime show, SangLinggo nAPO Sila. Although he did not win the contest, he went on to appear in skin flicks, followed by a steamy stint with the VHM. Now that the VHM has disbanded, Allen Dizon has again taken a solo path in the movies [last appearance: Twilight Dancers, as an aging male prostitute] and teevee. Realizing that showbiz will pretty soon get too crowded for him, he has put up small business ventures in his native Plaridel, Bulacan, foremost of which is his Top of the Line Auto Sales and Insurance Agency.

Baliw!

To me,the best-looking and hottest among the Eigenmann brothers, sons of noted Filipino actors, is Ryan Eigenmann. At the recent IndieSine, an independent cinema festival, held at Robinsons Galleria Mall, his latest movie Baliw [literally, deranged] was a big hit among indie film lovers and critics. Ryan was the lead in Baliw, as a messed-up orphan who grew up to be a serial killer. The movie was megged by a California-based Filipino, Redd Ochoa.

I Heart Marvin!

Actor Marvin Agustin‘s secret to his buff bod is South Beach Diet, regular exercise and boxing regimen. In the latest issue of Men’s Health Philippines, he revealed that the reason he worked out from chub to fab was because he felt he “never had the physical traits of an artista.” So he hit the gym to make his shoulders broader as he had a big head and a small frame. Unlike his mate Dominic Ochoa, who has gone old and porcine, Marvin Agustin [previously given up by his old tv studio as a has-been] is experiencing a second energy burst in his career, thanks to a great bod and positive determination.

Luis Alandy is back!

After a six-month hiatus from the biz, Luis Alandy is back in circulation. Luis took a forced leave after he got injured [torn leg ligament] from a basketball game. Apparently, he spent quite a hefty sum for the treatment of his injury, notwithstanding the projects he turned down because of his temporary disability. Now he can walk again, and GMA-7, his former TV station, has assigned to him a role in its new drama series, Impostora.

Jericho Rosales regrets..

…. being labeled a “Katok Boy.” According to reports from the Radio Mindanao Network Entertainment News, Jericho was a “Katok Boy” before he became an actor. A “Katok Boy” apparently goes a-knockin’ at doors to ask for financial help. In the case of Jericho Rosales, according to the report, when he was younger and poorer, he went from one beauty parlor to another in Marikina [where he used to stay] and asked for help from the gay beauticians, who were just to glad to help the cute fledgling with some thing in return, of course. The report said that their source was one member from Jericho’s former group, The Hunks, wherein said member was just not too happy keeping an information made in confidence by Jericho Rosales.

WITWI Tonio Ortigas

Where in the world is Tonio Ortigas? The dopey-eyed [note: Dopey of the seven dwarfs fame isn’t really dopey; he is simply childlike] actor-stripper rose to relative recognition by posing in gutsy naked photos at the time when the standard cover for the family jewels are speedos and jockeys and not books, fruits and flimsy loincloth. Tonio Ortigas made a couple or three films , the most memorable of which was his frontal nudity scenes in a dance sequence for Burlesk King [released 1999]. Eventually, he disappeared from the scene. He was last seen consorting inq7.net’s most-read columnist and real-life sex-and-tell hag, Dolly Anne Carvajal.

Seventeen years ago….

Zoren Legaspi looked like this, in a promotional shoot for his teen movie Island of Desire, with scorned-wife-of-the-moment Ruffa Gutierrez. Zoren is now married with kids and happily working still as an actor. Too, he is currently the director of Fantastic Man on GMA 7. Zoren, who took a crash course in filmmaking under the renowned director Peque Gallaga in Bacolod City, explains his career shift: “Directing has always been my passion. I’ve been wanting to be a director for eight years now, I think now is the time. It started back in the States where my family lived for about five years. I was 15 then and we had a videography business called Father & Sons because it was ours, my father’s and my brothers’. I remember I had a grand time manning the business because you know naman how big the Filipino community is in Chicago. I was really the one tasked with shooting weddings, baptismal up to editing materials.”